undermine
Definition from Wiktionary, the free dictionary
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English [edit]
Etymology [edit]
Pronunciation [edit]
Verb [edit]
undermine (third-person singular simple present undermines, present participle undermining, simple past and past participle undermined)
- To dig underneath (something), to make a passage or for destructive or military purposes; to sap. [from 14th c.]
- 2009, Diarmaid MacCulloch, A History of Christianity, Penguin 2010, p. 312:
- Martin, for instance, had on one occasion undermined a tree sacred to old gods, then stood in the path of its fall, but forced it to fall elsewhere by making the sign of the Cross.
- 2009, Diarmaid MacCulloch, A History of Christianity, Penguin 2010, p. 312:
- (figuratively) To weaken or work against; to hinder, sabotage. [from 15th c.]
- The war efforts were undermined by the constant bickering between the allies.
- 2012 April 19, Josh Halliday, “Free speech haven or lawless cesspool – can the internet be civilised?”, the Guardian:
- The growing use of social media to spread anger and dissent in the Arab world has been hailed by western governments as one of the chief justifications for a completely unfettered internet. The US is reportedly funding the secret rollout of technology in Iran in an effort to undermine internet censors in the country.
Antonyms [edit]
Translations [edit]
hinder, sabotage
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to dig, tunnel, hollow out as if making a cave or opening
- The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables, removing any numbers. Numbers do not necessarily match those in definitions. See instructions at Help:How to check translations.
Translations to be checked
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External links [edit]
- undermine in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913
- undermine in The Century Dictionary, The Century Co., New York, 1911
- undermine at OneLook Dictionary Search
